New Lunt stuff at SCAE
發表於 : 2012-07-16, 07:08Quote
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Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:04 pm (PDT) . Posted by: "Woody Schlom" shrimp_louie
Andy and Rikki were at SCAE (Southern California Astronomy Expo) today at OPT showing some new stuff.
1) 60mm DS front etalon that's both Tilt AND PT. OK, I know this sounds like I'm confused -- but I'm not.
This is a 60mm front mounted DS etalon intended for the 60mm PT scope. Instead of doubling up PT etalons in the middle of the scope (such as the 80mm DS/PT), the 60mm scope has the regular PT etalon in the middle of the scope -- and then you screw this new bright red DS etalon onto the front of the scope.
Unlike the present 50mm DS front etalon, this one is 60mm -- so you get the full aperture of the 60mm scope. It fits flush with the 60mm tube and doesn't look like an add-on. But it's Lunt red -- just like the PT etalon.
Now here's the strange part. There's the usual little tilt etalon tuning wheel coming out of one side so you can tune the etalon -- by tilting the etalon glass plates. BUT -- there's also a little air-fitting coming out of the thing! No big brass PT pump/tuner on this one -- just a little fitting. If you want to tune this etalon with air pressure instead of tilting the plates -- you attach a thin rubber air-hose to the fitting -- which then connects to the new Lunt electric pressure pump!
When you use the PT fitting, you roll the tilt etalon tuning wheel all the way one way -- so the glass plates are parallel. So it's a two-in-one etalon.
What will Lunt think of next?
2) Well of course the another new item is the portable electric air-pump thingie w/ hoses. For the demo today, the scope was about 15 feet from the table where the pumps were.
I was more fascinated with the new tilt/PT etalon than the pumps so I don't remember all the features they had. But I do remember some kind of digital readout. The pumps were about 7" x 5" x 2". I assume they're 12v powered but I didn't ask.
No definite prices yet or availability -- but Rikki thinks the 60mm etalon will go for "around" $1,500 -- and I think she said the pumps for maybe $500.
3) Next in the works is remote focus so the scopes can be totally remotely controlled.
4) Lunt also showed an assortment of 1.25" "Flat-field" eyepieces (same black/red cosmetics as the current zoom -- but smaller than the zoom).
5) And finally they had a couple of "regular" refractor telescopes that can be used with their white-light wedges or for normal DSO observing if you take out the wedge. The scopes were white with black trim and appeared to be 80mm and maybe 120mm sized. Sorry, I didn't ask any more about them. But one had the 1.25" wedge on it and the other had the 2" wedge. The 2" wedge is MUCH MUCH larger and beefier than the 1.25" -- which is quite small. No wonder they don't recommend the 1.25" for scopes larger than 4". It just doesn't have the surface area necessary to dissipate all the heat from a large scope.
I just looked on Lunt's website for this new stuff but didn't find it.
Woody
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Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:04 pm (PDT) . Posted by: "Woody Schlom" shrimp_louie
Andy and Rikki were at SCAE (Southern California Astronomy Expo) today at OPT showing some new stuff.
1) 60mm DS front etalon that's both Tilt AND PT. OK, I know this sounds like I'm confused -- but I'm not.
This is a 60mm front mounted DS etalon intended for the 60mm PT scope. Instead of doubling up PT etalons in the middle of the scope (such as the 80mm DS/PT), the 60mm scope has the regular PT etalon in the middle of the scope -- and then you screw this new bright red DS etalon onto the front of the scope.
Unlike the present 50mm DS front etalon, this one is 60mm -- so you get the full aperture of the 60mm scope. It fits flush with the 60mm tube and doesn't look like an add-on. But it's Lunt red -- just like the PT etalon.
Now here's the strange part. There's the usual little tilt etalon tuning wheel coming out of one side so you can tune the etalon -- by tilting the etalon glass plates. BUT -- there's also a little air-fitting coming out of the thing! No big brass PT pump/tuner on this one -- just a little fitting. If you want to tune this etalon with air pressure instead of tilting the plates -- you attach a thin rubber air-hose to the fitting -- which then connects to the new Lunt electric pressure pump!
When you use the PT fitting, you roll the tilt etalon tuning wheel all the way one way -- so the glass plates are parallel. So it's a two-in-one etalon.
What will Lunt think of next?
2) Well of course the another new item is the portable electric air-pump thingie w/ hoses. For the demo today, the scope was about 15 feet from the table where the pumps were.
I was more fascinated with the new tilt/PT etalon than the pumps so I don't remember all the features they had. But I do remember some kind of digital readout. The pumps were about 7" x 5" x 2". I assume they're 12v powered but I didn't ask.
No definite prices yet or availability -- but Rikki thinks the 60mm etalon will go for "around" $1,500 -- and I think she said the pumps for maybe $500.
3) Next in the works is remote focus so the scopes can be totally remotely controlled.
4) Lunt also showed an assortment of 1.25" "Flat-field" eyepieces (same black/red cosmetics as the current zoom -- but smaller than the zoom).
5) And finally they had a couple of "regular" refractor telescopes that can be used with their white-light wedges or for normal DSO observing if you take out the wedge. The scopes were white with black trim and appeared to be 80mm and maybe 120mm sized. Sorry, I didn't ask any more about them. But one had the 1.25" wedge on it and the other had the 2" wedge. The 2" wedge is MUCH MUCH larger and beefier than the 1.25" -- which is quite small. No wonder they don't recommend the 1.25" for scopes larger than 4". It just doesn't have the surface area necessary to dissipate all the heat from a large scope.
I just looked on Lunt's website for this new stuff but didn't find it.
Woody